Tang Soo!

You could have a sneezing fit of thirty seconds and be completely unaware that you passed Etowah, NC. Since DuPont and Pisgah Forests are right down the road, Etowah gets lost in the shuffle. Honestly, there isn’t much in Etowah; no fancy over the top restaurants or hotels, but there is a sense of community. I hate that some of the businesses get overlooked by locals and tourists because Etowah is small. However, one business in particular, Ho Sin Sool Dojang, has my attention and should have yours, too!

The Martial Arts Dojang offers Tang So Doo, Tai Chi, a Women’s Self Defense Class, Summer Camps and an After School Program. I may be a little biased because I am a “Hendo” inhabitant and my 5 year old attends the Little Ninjas class but, there is something special about Travis Ginn’s Dojang. One word to describe Ho Sin Sool is “heart”. When you speak to the 6 th Degree Black Belt about his lifetime study of Tang Soo Do, he lights up and you know it is one of his purposes’ in life. Travis is able to take his martial arts passion, combine it with his sense of service to the community and make it a very rewarding career. His Dojang is a place where discipline, respect, confidence, spirit and health are promoted. The values that are expressed by the International Master Instructor are shared with students from 3 to 103. Best yet, Travis is very humble about it all, even unaware of his presence and importance to the community. He is just happy to be doing what he is doing.

However, Stacey Barrett, Travis’s fiancée, is aware of what he brings to Etowah and Hendersonville. In fact, the two are teaming up to provide a fun packed summer camp for the kiddos. Camp includes hiking, programs at Carl Sandburg, field trips to the fish hatchery and WNC Nature Center, gem mining, visits from the fire department and police department, and even some rainy day activities at Hands on and Brevard Rock Gym. The couple also works together for an after school program that includes pick up from Glenn C. Marlow Elementary, Mills River Elementary, Etowah Elementary and Rugby Middle School. With Stacey’s background in massage, nutrition and fitness training, it will be exciting to see what the couple will do in the future. As for the present, I encourage people of all ages to see what the Dojang can offer children and adults. Do not be intimidated if you don’t have a background in the martial arts or tai chi, as the environment at Ho Sin Sool is warm and inviting. A student of any age will walk away with confidence and a sense of accomplishment.